subject: Most Commonly Reported Garage Door Photo-eye Sensor Issues And How To Troubleshoot [print this page] Garage door photo-eye sensors were created to protect children, pets, vehicles, and well everyone and everything from ever getting trapped under a garage door (which by the way is the largest and heaviest moving piece of machinery in most homes). Slow movement under these fast moving contraptions could be fatal.
However, defects and photo-eye sensor go hand in hand. In fact, most complaints in relation to garage doors are related to photo-eye sensors. Some of the most commonly reported problems of this safety feature include:
Sporadic stopping and starting
Jamming of photo-eye sensor button
Flashing lights
DIY Quick Fix
If you are experiencing any of these issues you do not necessarily need a professional to repair the problem. All you need to do is a little trouble shooting. First thing you will want to do is locate your two sensor devises then try to see if each one has a lit LED. If you see that one is off or flickering try adjusting the height of the sensor to make sure it is not out of alignment. (Note: they should be looking directly into each others eyes.)
If they are both aligned then you will want to check the lenses to make sure they are free from dirt, spider webs or anything that could keep them from communicating signals. If they are filmy, wipe them off with a damp cloth.
If this does not help you will want to check for loose, frayed or broken wires and see if you can not reconnect them.
